Nissan has been slow to deliver the LEAF the world over, however the company has finally shipped the all-electric car to the UK. Sixty-seven LEAFs arrived today in North East England intended for customers in the UK and Ireland.

The cars arrived aboard the City of St. Petersburg carrier, which has a special bow that reduces wind resistance by about 50 percent, resulting in fuel reductions up to 800 tons annually — equivalent to about 2,500 tons of CO2. This is the biggest shipment of the LEAF Nissan has made to Europe so far.

“The arrival of the Nissan LEAF, the world’s first affordable, all-electric car, in Europe is a landmark day for Nissan and European transport. The Nissan LEAF is a genuine alternative to petrol and diesel cars in terms of style, features, safety, performance and handling,” said Simon Thomas, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Nissan International SA, Nissan’s European headquarters.

“It is fitting that this first shipment of Nissan LEAFs is arriving on our new energy-saving car carrier, the City of St. Petersburg. We look forward to delivering these cars to the very first Nissan LEAF customers, who share our vision for an environmentally sustainable future for road transport,” he added.

The car is slated for official release in the UK in March, even though customers have been pre-ordering them since September of last year. The Leaf is estimated to cost £23,990 in the UK with a federal subsidy of £5,000. The UK’s motor industry is to receive a £7 billion boost for electric cars by 2014, says a new survey by GfK Automotive, who interviewed over 5,000 drivers.